Opelousas minister seeks housing solution for female homeless

The Rev. Alex Richard is working to reduce homelessness, particularly among women, in Opelousas.(Photo11: Submitted)

The Rev. Alex Richard is noticing more women living in graveyards a situation that he says has become too disturbing for him to ignore.

It’s a city-wide issue that has become more serious than most would acknowledge, according to Richard, an Opelousas minister who is looking for assistance in finding a building where the homeless — especially women — can seek comfortable refuge.

“Right now, the problem is very serious both for the males and females,” says Richard, who conducts Sunday worship services at the Opelousas Farmers Market. "Women, however, are more delicate and they are more vulnerable. It’s harder for them than the men to find places. It’s something I think we need to address."

Currently, all Richard has to offer is a concern and a willingness to work until resolution is achieved.

The start toward that will be achieved by acquiring a location that will open its doors, says Richard.

He has no access to funding, private, public or otherwise. Richard says he is assisting one homeless female in an apartment that he has rented. Richard assists with the rent and some utilities at a cost of about $600 monthly.

“This woman was evicted from where she was living before," Richard said. "After that, she had no place to stay. I’ve helped with feeding her and in her condition there is no type of job right now that she is able to do.”

There are other women on the streets of Opelousas who are not so fortunate, Richard points out.

Richard contends that most of the female homelessness that he sees is due to mental illness. Others have been victimized in other ways.

Several graveyards within the central part of the city are now inhabited among the tombstones by the homeless female population, Richard said.

It’s a dangerous situation for these transient residents, he said, but no one seems to be coming forward with solutions for the issue.

Richard has appeared at St. Landry Parish Council meetings over the last several months, speaking briefly to council members, mainly to apprise them of the issue, which has become increasingly severe.

Also, Richard points out that he has met privately with St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot and the former city administration in order to determine what might be available in terms of housing, especially for women.

The council has taken no action on the matter.

He is thankful, however, for the former city administration’s effort in assisting his ministry, which has been allowed to use the city’s Farmer’s Market pavilion for two hours on Sunday and another hour on Tuesday night for Bible study.

Richard said he is willing to do the work of rehabilitating a building to accommodate female homelessness with the help of others, if given a chance.

“What I am looking for right now is not money,” Richard said. "What I need is a building that we can use as a start in order to give these women a place to stay. The building doesn’t have to be in in that great a shape. We can find people who will help us fix up a place that is suitable."

However, Richard hasn’t yet found that place.

The homeless problem for women became more crucial several years ago when a women’s shelter in downtown Opelousas supported by the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette closed. The services that were provided there for women and their children by the diocese through donations and volunteer efforts were moved to Lafayette, Richard points out.

That building, a four-story structure on U.S. Highway 190 that runs through the center of the city, has been vacant since the previous women’s shelter closed.

Richard knows what it’s like living a forlorn and homeless life. When he was in his 20s, Richard said, he often got in trouble and lived with relatives that he remembers became weary of his lifestyle, which included drugs and running the streets.

“I had the devil chasing me and at that time; I was a broken human being,” Richard said. "I experienced all the problems — alcohol, weed, all the drugs you could imagine were available back then. I had nowhere to stay. Someone reached out and then and I was able to get some help."

Finding that kind of help in Opelousas to assist with his female shelter concept hasn’t been easy, Richard said.

“I’ve talked to several people, Mr. Fontenot, others in the city, and I am just waiting on them now to call and see if we can do anything," he said. "Human lives are important. All I am saying is if someone can give Alex Richard a building, then he will take care of the rest.”